HAWKING ESTABLISHMENTS. 217 



In Scotland, about 1819, the Eenfrewshire subscrip- 

 tion hawks were kept by Mr. Fleming. Among the various 

 sportsmen who patronised falconry with Mr. P'leming 

 were Sir John INlaxwell and the late Mr. Wallace of 

 Kelly. 



During the spring of 1843 Mr. Newcome had a cast 

 of passage hawks of such excellence that their perfor- 

 mances are w^ell worth recording. These hawks, named 

 Sultan and De Euyter, had been flown for a season at 

 Loo before being brought to England. Each year, as 

 soon as they had finished their moult, they were entered 

 and flown at rooks, previous to the commencement of 

 the heron season. During their third year they took at 

 Hockwold in Norfolk and at Loo fifty-four herons, and 

 in the following season of 1844 they took in the same 

 localities fifty-seven herons. 



The bittern was formerly a favourite quarry at which 

 to fly 1 -on hawks, L it in England they are now become 

 very scarce. About the year 1770 several noblemen 

 and gentlemen had large hawking establishments in 

 England ; probably, independent of the enjoyment they 

 derived from this field sport, with the view of once more 

 introducing falconry amongst the sportsmen of the 

 L^nited Kingdom, but up to the present time the un- 

 sportsmanlike battues have proved a serious obstacle to 

 its revival. The Earl of Oxford and Colonel Thornton 

 had regular hawking establishments about the above 

 period, as also ]Mr. Colquhoun*, of Whitham, near 

 Thetford, about 1785. 



Towards the end of last century the late Captain Stm-t, 

 R.N., who was then the o\vner of Brownsea Island, 



* I was well acquainted with ilr. Colquhoun's son at the university 

 of Guttintiou. I heard that he afterwards shot himself. 



